Child's Skull Found on Mountain Road

Chronicle Staff Report

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, January 23, 2001

2001-01-23 04:00:00 PDT Santa Clara -- The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is trying to figure out how the skull of a young child ended up on a remote road above the Los Gatos hills and who it belongs to.

A road worker driving along Soda Springs Road, near Lexington Reservoir, found the skull Friday. Initially, he thought it was a rock and a danger to traffic, but when he got out to move it to the side of the road he discovered it was a small skull.

Sgt. Mark Eastus of the sheriff's office said a half-dozen cadaver dogs spent the better part of two days searching the area for other clues.

President Trump addresses nation after mass shooting at Florida SchoolWhite House

"All they do is sniff out tissues, remains and blood . . . but they came up with nothing," said Eastus. "There are a lot of wild animals out there, and we're not sure how it got there."

Soda Springs Road travels up a mountainous area and usually is driven only by the few residents who live up there and by people with work to do, Eastus said.

The county coroner's office has determined that the child died within the last six months and is conducting further DNA tests to determine the child's gender.

There are no reports of missing children as young as the skull appears to be in Santa Clara County, Eastus said. Once the coroner's investigation is completed, the results will be compared with authorities in other counties across the state and nation.

"Our detectives are working very aggressively to get it resolved and to identify the child," said Eastus. "It is an unfortunate, tragic event."

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Sgt. Karen Burgess at (408) 867-9719. Anonymous tips can be called in at (800) 847-5077.